


Shirou's Apocryphal Summons

by DONTSALTME69



Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night (Visual Novel), Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Romance, Servant Swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25968370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DONTSALTME69/pseuds/DONTSALTME69
Summary: In some universes, Shirou Emiya would summon the legendary King of Knights and would fight in the Holy Grail War with her at his side.But what about others? What would happen if Shirou Emiya summoned the son of the Sun God, or one of the Twelve Heroes of Charlemagne?
Relationships: Emiya Shirou/Astolfo | Rider of Black
Comments: 17
Kudos: 47





	1. Karna

Saber arrived at the Emiya household, annoyed. She was a knight, not an assassin.

And even if she was an assassin, murdering a boy for being a witness wouldn't sit right with her. She walked right into the living room after all of his guests had left, trying to give him a fair chance.

He ran, and she followed. At walking pace, of course, because she was going to be as obtrusive to the priest's plans as possible.

Eventually, Saber caught up to Shirou Emiya, who had hid in a shed disconnected from the rest of the household. She felt mana gathering, and manifested her weapon in case something tried to attack her.

A summoning circle glowed near him, and a Servant appeared from it before Saber's very eyes. He was very pale, with similarly white hair. The Servant was tall and slender, easily towering over both Shirou and Saber. He wore a black bodysuit that exposed his chest and a red cape with golden sun decorations.

"I ask of you, are you my Master?" He asked.

Shirou didn't respond. A set of Command Seals appeared on his hand.

"Ah, I see. Then I will deal with the enemy. I will explain what is happening after I have confirmed your safety." He manifested a spear with a sun-like head, and rushed at Saber.

She barely managed to see it coming and block the strike, being sent into the yard by the sheer force of the blow.

"I presume you are Saber?" He asked, stepping out of the shed with a very calm expression. It was like he wasn't even putting in any effort with that last strike. "I am Lancer, and you do not strike me as any of the other classes."

"You are correct, Lancer. I am the Saber of this Holy Grail War." Saber answered.

"I will destroy you here and now." Lancer stated.

In a flash, he was in front of Saber and thrusting his lance for her neck. She barely deflected it, stepping around him as she did so and swinging her blade for his side. He took the blow head-on, Saber's weapon failing to even pierce his skin. While the priest's Command Seals were in effect, preventing her from using her full strength without express permission, she still should have done some damage against her foe.

Saber didn't have time to dwell on this, as Lancer went onto the offensive in close quarters. Saber managed to keep up with his pace, which only served to put her on edge even more. She was evenly matched with him right now, and he didn't seem to be giving it anywhere near his all.

Lancer released a burst of flames, forcing Saber back. He closed the distance instantly, attempting to use the moment she was off balance to end the battle. Saber leaned to the side, causing the lance to her her shoulder with one of the side spikes.

This nearly tore open her shoulder in a single blow.

Saber managed to get out of Lancer's direct range, receiving an order from her Master.

"I apologize, Lancer, but my Master has ordered me to retreat from this battle. I hope we will get the chance to continue our fight at a later date." Saber stated, before leaping out of the Emiya estate and into the dark of night.

Lancer considered pursuing, before shaking his head. There was little point in leaving his Master unprotected when he still had little clue as to what was going on. At least, that was what he had inferred, based on the circumstances of his summoning.

Speaking of his Master, he walked (more like stumbled) out of the shed to see Lancer. The Servant dematerialized his weapon, deciding that he should focus in calming his Master.

At least, that was his plan, right up until he noticed that a Servant (a dark-skinned man wearing a red coat) was standing on a nearby roof with a girl. It wasn't hard to infer that she was his Master.

"Emiya, I didn't realize you were a Mage." The girl said.

"To-Tohsaka?" Lancer's Master questioned.

* * *

Mercifully, Shirou more or less understood the very basics of what was going on. Between Lancer and Rin Tohsaka, the pair had more than enough information to explain the current circumstances.

"So, if you and that girl were heroes from legends, then who are you specifically?" Shirou asked.

"Emiya, you shouldn't ask that question in front of another Master." Rin said. "If he answers truthfully, then I also know of his identity-"

"I am Karna, the son of the Sun God Surya." Lancer answered. "I doubt that your Servant can defeat me."

Rin just stared at Karna in utter bafflement.

* * *

After going to the church to register for the Holy Grail War and get some more information on what was going on, Shirou began to walk back to his home with Karna and Rin.

"Hello, Big Brother." A young girl said, standing before them. Karna manifested his lance, sensing danger.

Shirou recognized her as that girl he saw a couple days ago. "Who are you?"

"Is that how you greet me?" She questioned, before giggling. "I suppose it matters not. I am Illyasviel von Einzbern. Kill them, Berserker."

Berserker manifested behind her, leaping at Shirou. Karna intercepted, blocking an overhead strike from his opponent and pushing back hard enough to send Berserker skidding across the road.

Archer rained a barrage of arrows down upon Berserker from a distance, trying to back up Karna. Berserker ignored the projectiles, trying to keep track of Karna as he practically flew across the pavement to strike at Berserker's side. Berserker blocked the first blow, and the pair clashed.

Karna was pleasantly surprised to discover that Berserker was able to keep up with him. Sure, he wasn't using his full strength, but it was still more than what he was using against Saber. He deflected Berserker's weapon into the ground, using the moment the enemy Servant's guard was down to stab him in the heart.

The Lancer stepped back from Berserker for a moment, glancing off to the side to confirm his Master's safety. Thankfully, Einzbern seemed to have no intentions of attacking him right now, and Tohsaka seemed to be focused more on Einzbern that his Master.

Shirou's eyes widened for a moment, as he ran towards his Servant. "Lancer, look out!"

Karna turned his attention back to Berserker, who had gotten up and was about to swing his weapon for Karna's neck. Karna realized that his Master was about to be put into the line of fire as well, and chose to prioritize his survival first and foremost.

Of course, his method of doing this was a bit more aggressive than necessary, as he simply spun his spear so the butt of it would hit Shirou in the chest and send him flying into Tohsaka (who managed to catch him without being knocked over).

Berserker's blow hit Karna dead-on. It actually drew a small amount of blood, the sheer force of it being too much even with his armor taking the brunt of it. Karna retorted with a spear thrust that struck Berserker in the heart once more, sending him flying back. Surprisingly, it didn't do the same damage to him this time.

Einzbern sighed. "This battle is gonna go nowhere at this rate. Let's go home, Berserker."

Shirou and Tohsaka felt like they had just dodged a massive bullet.

* * *

The next morning, Shirou headed into the living room on his way to the kitchen. He idly noted that Karna had shed his cape and was wearing a rather nice looking suit and tie (most likely from Kiritsugu's old wardrobe).

While cooking breakfast, Fujimura Taiga arrived, greeting everyone. "Good morning Shirou, Sakura, Tohsaka, guy I don't know!"

She sat down. Seconds passed.

"Shirou, why is Tohsaka here and who is this strange man?!" Fujimura questioned.

"I am an old friend of Kiritsugu Emiya. I have business in Fuyuki and am lodging here for the time being." Karna lied. "I thought Shirou would have explained this to you beforehand, but I suppose my arrival was slightly... tumultuous."

"Oh. That still doesn't explain why Tohsaka is here."

"I'm having renovations being done to my house that would last until tonight, and Emiya offered to let me stay over." Tohsaka explained. "It was cheaper than renting a hotel room."

Karna paid little attention to the rest of their conversation, instead focusing on Sakura. Thanks to his skill Discernment of the Poor, he had insight into the character of the people around him.

Sakura had an immense aura of sadness surrounding her, and an instability that worried him. It wasn't that she was necessarily evil so much as she was in a very bad place and has been in that very bad place for a long time.

He worried for her, and his Master's, safety. He would need to speak with his Master regarding her at a later date.

Speaking of his Master, he returned from the kitchen bearing food. Karna quietly took his first bite, and was quickly struck with the most wondrous taste he had ever experienced. Words would only serve to downplay its excellence. Perhaps his Master wasn't a particularly great Mage, but he was probably the finest chef the world will ever see.

He noticed that everyone was staring at him. He must have made a face while enjoying Shirou's cooking.

* * *

"Hey, Karna." Shirou said, sitting in the living room with his Servant. He had just returned home from school. "Tohsaka told me that Servants are summoned because they want the Holy Grail. What do you want it for?"

Karna didn't respond for a moment, thinking his answer over. "I don't truly have a wish. Do you have a wish, Master?"

"I do, but it's not one I wanted to be granted by the Grail." Shirou answered. "I... I want to be a Hero of Justice and save everyone."

"I understand." Karna said, nodding. His skill told him that Shirou was probably one of the most heroic people in this era, even if he seemed to bear an odd emptiness in his spirit. "A simple wish for a simple man."

Shirou seemed slightly offended by the second statement.

* * *

A couple days passed without anything going on, until Shinji Matou enacted a Bounded Field to start melting the other students at school to fuel his Servant.

Shirou confronted Shinji and his Servant in a hall on one of the upper floors, wielding nothing but a reinforced mop.

"Are you really going to go up against a _Servant_ with that?" Shinji questioned, laughing. "Rider, kill him."

Shirou moved faster than expected, managing to get past Rider and tackle Shinji out the window. Rider swooped in to save Shinji, leaving Shirou to fall. Shirou realized there was no way to survive this on his own, and used a Command Seal to summon Karna to him.

Shinji and Rider literally could not perceive what happened, as it all happened far too fast. In one moment, Shirou was falling. In the next, he was gone.

Rider barely managed to dodge a thrust of Karna's lance, twisting her body around and lashing her chain spike at him in retort. Karna didn't waste a moment, impaling her on his lance.

"I apologize for being so merciless." Karna stated, incinerating Rider's body with his flames. He then pointed his lance at the utterly terrified Shinji. "I suggest you run and never show your face around my Master if you value your life."

Shinji ran away, pissing his pants in fear.

* * *

Later that night, Karna finally met Archer for the first time. It was some time after dinner, not long after Shirou and Rin (who was still staying there) went to bed.

"So, you finally show yourself." Karna remarked.

"I am wary of dealing with a Servant as strong as you." Archer said. Karna's Discernment of the Poor told the Lancer quite a bit. A tortured man with a heart that burns for justice stood before him. But... something was strangely familiar. He couldn't quite place it, but he recognized something about Archer. "But I am curious about your thoughts on your Master."

"He is a naive boy who hasn't quite learned about the workings of the world." Karna stated. Archer seemed amused by the answer, until Karna continued. "I find him refreshing."

Archer was actually surprised by this answer. Karna cracked a small smile, his turn to be amused by the other's response. "He's going to destroy himself."

"Perhaps. But I won't let it happen for as long as I am present."

* * *

While Karna and Archer were talking, Caster had taken the opportunity to kidnap Shirou in an attempt to get Karna under her control.

Needless to say, Karna immediately began pursuit the moment he realized what was happening.

He came to a stop on the stairs leading into Ryuudou Temple, finding himself staring up at Assassin.

"I presume you are here to guard this temple?" Karna asked, materializing his lance.

"You are correct. Only the front gate can be entered by a Servant, and I am stationed here to guard it from other Servants." Assassin stated, drawing his katana. "You seem quite powerful. Let's see if I will enjoy this battle."

Karna didn't like this. He was running on fumes by this point and was going to need to conserve what little mana he had just to exist. This was going to be difficult.

Assassin closed the distance between them, attacking from higher ground. Karna blocked the first two strikes, attempting to counter with a swing of his weapon. Assassin parried the blow, swiping at Karna.

Inside (or rather in the courtyard of the temple grounds), Caster prepared to begin stripping Shirou of his Command Seals.

"I suggest you do not move during this process, unless you want the excruciating pain to only worsen. I _am_ stripping your hand of all its nerves to take the seals." Caster stated, about to begin the process.

And then she stopped, hearing something. The sound of shattering stone.

Berserker rushed like a wild animal, cutting through the threads trapping Shirou and then picking him up. His grip was surprisingly light.

Shirou still feared for his life regardless. Berserker didn't seem to care, sprinting out of the temple grounds and bounding into the night.

Karna attempted to give chase, only to realize he plain didn't have enough mana to fight. He needed help.

And so did Shirou.

* * *

Berserker brought Shirou to the Einzbern mansion outside city limits, where the boy finally got to meet Illyasviel in a context that didn't involve his attempted murder. Yet.

Of course, given that it was Shirou Emiya, he couldn't help but ask the obvious question, even if it will probably speed his impending demise.

"Why do you want to kill me?" He asked, sitting at a table with Illyasviel, eating dinner. Well, just sort of staring at his food, too scared to actually eat it.

"You _stole_ my father from me." Illyasviel hissed. Berserker materialized behind her. "He left me, all so he could take care of _you_. He abandoned me to take care of some child he barely knew."

"I'm sorry." Shirou said.

Illyasviel stared at him, baffled. "You're apologizing. I'm going to kill you out of spite and you're apologizing."

"Yeah?" Shirou shrugged. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Get mad at me! Make me feel good for wanting you dead!" Illya yelled. "Berserker!"

Berserker moved.

His weapon met a familiar golden lance. Karna stood between Berserker and Shirou, clearly exhausted but still going anyway. He pushed Berserker back, grabbing Shirou and throwing him out of the room.

Rin barely caught him, standing just outside the dining room. "Emiya, we need to get out of here. _Now_."

Karna was sent flying past them, crashing into the floor.

"Too late." Illya stated, walking out of the dining room with Berserker. "Berserker, kill them."

Berserker prepared to move, only for a pair of swords to strike him in the chest. It didn't do any damage, but it drew his attention.

Archer stood behind Rin and Shirou, another pair of swords appearing in his hands. "Master, take Shirou and his Servant and get out of here. I'll take care of this." He ordered, walking past the two.

"Archer-"

"Don't worry, Master. I'm not trying to get myself killed."

Rin relented. "Fine. By my Command Seal, I order you to fight Berserker with everything you've got!" She ordered, spending her second Command Seal to give Archer some extra power. "Shirou, we need to _go_."

Shirou desperately wanted to do something to help, but he couldn't. There was genuinely nothing he could do right now.

* * *

Once they finally got back to the Emiya household after a very long walk, there was another matter of concern that needed to be dealt with.

"Lancer is practically out of mana." Rin stated, as Karna collapsed onto the floor of the living room.

"Could you give him some mana?" Shirou asked.

"I could set up a connection between myself and him to feed him mana... but we don't have the time. There's another method, but it's..." Rin trailed off.

"It's what? Whatever it is, I'll do it. I'm not going to let Lancer disappear."

Rin whispered it to Shirou.

Shirou and Rin still did it.

* * *

That night, Shirou dreamt of a battle between Karna and a man with dark skin. For some reason, the man with dark skin seemed to carry an air similar to Karna. Karna was without his armor, and was riding a chariot. His opponent was also riding a chariot, focus solely trained on Karna.

The battle was savage, both combatants firing arrow after arrow to destroy one another. It was all a haze to Shirou, but he managed to notice two things.

Karna's bow, his death. Karna had stepped off his chariot to get it unstuck from the mud, and met his end as his opponent unleashing a final attack with a special arrow that severed Karna's head.

* * *

Shirou awoke to find that Rin and Karna were out of the room that they had... enjoyed time together in.

He went out into the living room to find the two sitting there, waiting for him to join you.

"Good morning, Master." Karna stated. His tone seemed warmer than usual. "Tohsaka has formed a connection between herself and I, allowing her to act as my mana supply."

"In other words, I take care of mana, you take care of Command Seals and defending me." Rin said. "Lancer's mana consumption is far more than Archer's," She sounded sad as she spoke her Servant's name. "So him going all-out will most likely paralyze me."

Shirou nodded in understanding. "I'll do my best."

* * *

Their next opponent came in the form of Caster, who had simply appeared in the Emiya household's yard when Shirou and Rin returned from school. Strings of magic trapped Shirou and Rin, and threatened to kill them should Karna try to stop her.

Caster smiled, drawing a strange dagger from her cloak. Only for Saber to arrive, slashing at Caster. Caster barely managed to get back, taking to the sky. While Caster was distracted, Karna cut the strings trapping Shirou and Rin.

"Saber?" Karna questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"My Master does not wish for Caster to acquire a third Servant, so he ordered me to fight her." Saber explained, keeping her gaze trained on Caster.

Karna nodded, manifesting his lance. As long as it meant protecting his Master, he was perfectly fine battling alongside a former enemy. He prepared to use Brahmastra Kundala, only to see a golden portal open up in the sky near Caster.

A spear shot out of it, barely missing Caster as she flew up to avoid it. More portals opened, each firing a weapon. Caster couldn't dodge all of them, getting impaled by a a white and gold lance that forced her lower legs to dematerialize.

"So this is the mongrel that my lovely Saber was ordered to kill." A man said, standing atop the roof of the outbuilding. " _Die_."

More weapons shot out of portals, tearing Caster apart. The man jumped down from his perch, landing in the yard.

"Gilgamesh." Saber stated. "Did my Master send you?"

Rin recognized the name quickly, and did not like hearing it. She had done some research on myth before the Holy Grail War, and Gilgamesh's legend was one of the oldest surviving works of literature. And she just had a bad feeling about him, for some strange reason.

"No, the priest did not send me. I was simply curious as to _who_ could be such a threat that it needed _your_ intervention." The man, Gilgamesh, said.

Shirou, Rin, and Karna all picked up on Gilgamesh's mention of 'the priest' but didn't say a word. While Karna could probably keep up with Gilgamesh, they still didn't want to start an unnecessary fight that was already disadvantageous.

Mercifully for our heroes, Gilgamesh and Saber left without fighting them.

Once they were sure they were safe, the trio had a strategy meeting.

"So, I assume you also heard what Goldie said about 'the priest'." Rin said. "I suppose it really shouldn't surprise me that Kirei is involved in this war beyond being the Overseer. He always struck me as off."

"What do we do about Gilgamesh though?" Shirou asked. "I know I'm not that great a Mage, but he looks like he's going to be near impossible to beat, even with Lancer."

"He does pose a problem. We're just going to have to rely on Lancer's strength and hope that's enough."

"I will not fail against him." Karna firmly stated.

* * *

Their next opponent came in the form of Berserker, who arrived outside the Emiya household with his Master in tow the following night.

The battle began quickly, as Karna rocketed forward to meet Berserker. Weapon met weapon, unleashing a violent shockwave that knocked Shirou off his feet from over twenty meters away. Rin collapsed basically the moment Karna started moving, barely being caught by the downed Shirou.

Karna dodged his opponent's wild swings, countering with a thrust to the chest that sent Berserker flying. So it still wouldn't do damage. "Your Noble Phantasm prevents damage you've previously taken from wounding you." He inferred. Karna blocked a powerful overhead smash, pivoting around and countering with a heavy swing of his weapon that tore into Berserker's side.

Berserker growled, throwing a punch with his free hand that Karna blocked with his lance. Karna was sent flying down the street by the blow, digging his heels into the pavement to halt his momentum. Berserker pursued, leaping at the Lancer like a rabid animal.

As the battle between Servants continued to escalate, Shirou was only able to watch. He needed to do _something_. He needed a weapon.

But what weapon would be strong enough to wound Berserker? And how could he use it while protecting Rin.

An image flashed in his mind. He focused on that image, forcing his Magic Circuits to start firing.

Karna's bow appeared in his hands. So did an arrow. He had one shot. Shirou's vision blurred, the strain of using Projection this way beginning to get to him.

He drew the string back, taking aim. There is no failure. Shirou imagined where he wanted to shoot, and released the string. The arrow burst into flames the moment it was out of his hands, rocketing at Berserker like a missile.

It pierced through Berserker's chest. The Servant collapsed onto his knees, seemingly dead for a moment. And then he rose back up.

This time, Karna was ready to end this. " _To ashes_." He stated, before unleashing a fireball from the tip of his lance that completely engulfed Berserker. When the flames cleared, nothing was left of Berserker.

As for his Master, Illyasviel just broke down crying. One of the only people who cared for her was just... _gone_.

Karna took a step to return to his Master, only for a golden portal to open above him and shoot a weapon at him.

Gilgamesh and Saber jumped down from a nearby roof.

"Lancer, I apologize for meeting you under these circumstances." Saber stated, stepping into Karna's path so he couldn't get at Gilgamesh. "My Master has ordered me by Command Seal to fight you with everything I have."

Saber lunged at Karna, clashing weapons with him.

Gilgamesh calmly walked over to Illyasviel and picked her up, before jumping off into the night. Rin noted that he was heading in the direction of the church.

Karna blocked a heavy strike from Saber, skidding across the pavement from the force. He met Saber's pursuit with a vertical swing of his lance, sending her flying into the air. The Lancer took off into the sky after her.

The pair clashed yet again with a flurry of blows, ending in Saber getting sent hurtling down to earth after an overhead strike. Saber managed to land on her feet, landing in a nearby park, only to have to block a diving thrust from Karna. A crater exploded beneath her, the land itself unable to take the punishment of their battle.

Saber parried a thrust, going in for one of her own. Karna was sent flying into a building, crashing through it and landing on the other side. He barely had enough time to pick himself up before Saber closed the distance between them and continued her offensive. Karna released a burst of flames from his body, using it to force Saber away and take back some momentum in the fight.

Karna and Saber only sped up from there, not letting up against their opponent in the slightest. Saber backflipped away from a swing of the lance, landing on the building's side. She prepared to leap off it to lunge at the Lancer, only to be met by Karna pursuing her. Their weapons met once more, blasting Saber through the building and making her land back in the park.

"I am impressed." Karna stated, touching down on the grass. "You're putting up far more of a fight than last time. It is a shame your Master is not present to witness our battle."

"I can say the same to you, Lancer. Your speed and power have only grown since our last battle." Saber complimented in return. "I wish I was allowed to savor this battle a little longer, but my Master has ordered me to use my Noble Phantasm." She raised her sword to the sky, dispelling the sheath of air around it.

The true form of Saber's blade was that of a glorious golden sword. Karna recognized it as Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory.

Karna flipped his spear around so he could throw it like a javelin. Red flames engulfed the weapon, burning with the power of the son of the Sun God.

" ** _EXCALIBUR_**!" Saber roared, gold light exploding from her sword. She swung the blade, unleashing a ultimate blast of power upon Karna.

" _Brahmastra Kundala_!" Karna declared, hurling his flaming lance with all of his might.

Divine flames met holy light, and all was silent for just an instant. And then one more explosion resounded, signalling the end of the battle.

"You were a worthy opponent, Saber."

Saber was missing most of her right side, burned to ash in the wake of Karna's power. It wouldn't be long before she succumbed to her wounds.

"I wish we could have had a chance to fit on truly equal footing, without the worries of our Masters." Karna stated. "You were a great warrior, King of Knights."

"I hope that we can eventually find a chance to battle once more. Not in all my life have I ever found an opponent I enjoyed battling as much as you." Saber said. "Please, put a stop to my Master. He intends to use the Holy Grail to bring about the world's greatest calamity."

Karna nodded. "You are a good woman, Saber. I will fulfill this wish, to grant you a death without regrets."

"Thank you." Saber smiled. She faded away, unable to sustain her physical form any more.

* * *

The final battle began later that night. Kirei was expected to be at Ryuudou Temple, the primary summoning location for the Holy Grail. Without Caster or Assassin, the path in would not be a problem.

This left them with only two opponents to face off against.

Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh. Two of the strongest fighters in the Holy Grail War. And only Karna and Shirou would be able to fight.

This meant that Shirou would have to face off against Kirei on his own.

Shirou reinforced his arms to block another heavy blow from Kirei. He didn't think he was going to be able to survive the first blow of the battle, but he was even impressing himself now, taking blow after blow.

Not that it was really amounting to much. While he could _survive_ Kirei's assault, he couldn't do anything beyond that.

But survival was all he needed. All he needed was to buy time.

Karna spun his lance, deflecting weapons shot off by Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm. Even with his armor reducing damage by ninety percent, those weapons were not something he would want to actually be hit with. He rocketed forward, attempting to close the distance. Even with Rin's frankly obscene mana capacity, he still couldn't use his Noble Phantasms recklessly. If he wanted to end things with Brahmastra Kundala, he would need to make absolutely certain it would be a killing blow.

More portals opened up, bombarding Karna and practically everything within a twelve meter radius of him with the finest versions of the finest treasures the world will ever know. Karna leapt straight up into the air to evade the assault, glancing down at where his Masters were. Rin was safe, sitting against the wall outside the temple gate. As for Shirou...

"Do you know what happened in the last Holy Grail War?" Kirei asked. "Your father _won_. He defeated me in the final battle for the Holy Grail, and made his wish."

"You... you said that the last winner-"

"Caused the disaster that ravaged Fuyuki all those years ago. Yes, it was not any ordinary man who acquired the Holy Grail. It was Kiritsugu Emiya. Your adoptive father was responsible for the loss of your original parents."

Kirei smiled as Shirou collapsed onto his knees in despair. It was the only reason he had even bothered speaking, to see that look of brokenness.

Karna continued his battle with Gilgamesh with ferocious speed, circling around the legendary King of Heroes.

"Your speed is quite impressive, Lancer." Gilgamesh complimented. His face was still in an arrogant smirk, but his words were sincere. More portals opened up, firing weapon after weapon to cut off Karna's escape routes. Karna blocked the assault with his lance, before rushing straight at Gilgamesh. Chains shot out of portals, attempting to ensnare the Lancer. Karna barely managed to dive out of the way, before having to block another fired weapon. "May I have your name?"

"I am Karna, son of the Sun God Surya." Karna stated. "It is an honor to do battle with the King of Heroes himself."

"You may be one of the few beings I have ever seen in this new life that is worthy of my presence." Gilgamesh remarked. " _Gates of Babylon_." Even more portals opened up behind him when he called the True Name of his Noble Phantasm.

While Karna and Gilgamesh were busy battling, Kirei was continuing to relish in Shirou's suffering.

"Emiya!" Rin shouted, having crawled into view to see what was going on. "Get up! Don't let Kirei win!"

"Ah, Rin. It is nice to see you. Did I ever tell you what happened to your father in the last Holy Grail War?" Kirei asked. He could theoretically kill her with ease right now, but it didn't feel right to do so yet.

"You told me that an enemy Master killed him..." Rin trailed off, realization dawning upon her.

"Yes, I killed him. Your father was careless, and I killed him with the very dagger he gifted me."

" _Kill him_." Rin stated. "Emiya, kill him! I'd do it myself, but I'm a little busy supporting Lancer!"

Shirou stood.

"I suppose that neither of you would just lie down and despair from my words." Kirei mused. "Come at me, Shirou Emiya. And let us see what you are capable of."

Karna's speed only rose as his battle with Gilgamesh escalated. Judging by how Gilgamesh fought, Karna guessed that he would only need one good blow to put him down. Even with his class, most Servants wouldn't be that intent on keeping him at well above arm's length.

The problem was that getting close was easier said than done. Gates of Babylon was arguably the perfect Noble Phantasm, with the ability to strike from any angle and enough power to wound him with his armor. And even trying to use his flames didn't work, as Gilgamesh merely blocked them with more weapons. Karna continued to try and close the distance, deflecting any weapon that got too close while dodging the rest.

Gilgamesh opened up more portals, attempting to use his chains to trap Karna. The Lancer once again dodged them, forced to relinquish distance to avoid being ensnared by the chains.

"Your instinct is quite strong, Karna. You managed to ascertain that Enkidu is a treasure capable of holding you without fail, one that grows more durable when the one it ensnares is of divine lineage." Gilgamesh said. Gates of Babylon continued to open new portals, firing weapon after weapon upon Karna.

Shirou projected a pair of swords. Kanshou and Bakuya. The same swords Archer used. He lunged at Kirei, who dodged the first slash before shattering Kanshou with a single blow. Shirou didn't falter, swinging Bakuya while projecting a replacement for Kanshou. Every single Projection felt like thousands of needles were created within his flesh, but he didn't care. The alternative was letting Kirei win and use the Holy Grail. In no world would he ever let that happen.

Kirei's movements were still far beyond Shirou's in both speed and power. The boy may have gained a second wind, but it was not a true advantage. He diverted each slash as he did with Kiritsugu all those years ago, feeling a rush of nostalgia.

Fighting an Emiya was how he was to end another Holy Grail War.

Shirou stepped back, bringing up Kanshou and Bakuya to block one of Kirei's strikes. Both blades shattered. Shirou didn't care, instead spawning a plain straight sword. It was one of the ones that Gilgamesh had fired upon Caster. Kirei was almost annoyed. Shirou rushed in, using the increased range to his advantage. Kirei was forced onto the defensive for once, Shirou's movements speeding up as his determination to win grew.

Kirei drew his Black Keys, deciding it was time to get serious. Now he had the range advantage, the blades as long as Shirou's and wielded by a much larger (and more experienced) person. 

Karna kept moving. If he stopped for even a moment, Gilgamesh would end him. It wasn't so much that Gilgamesh was the stronger Servant (they were roughly tied), so much as Karna was simply in a disadvantageous situation. Brahmastra Kundala was still uncertain to whether it could kill the King of Heroes, and using the full power of his lance seemed like a poor decision.

"I grow tired of this, son of the sun." Gilgamesh stated. "Let us end this."

Karna didn't say a word, focused purely on trying to get within range. One strike. That's all he would need. Just one strike. The battle would be over if he landed that one strike. He deflected an oddly familiar longsword, pushing forward more and more. He manifested wings made of sunlight for a moment, reaching the peak of his speed as he dodged and darted around Gilgamesh's assault.

He broke through. He was within range. Gilgamesh barely managed to dodge the first thrust, firing a weapon with Gates of Babylon to cover his retreat. The King of Heroes attempted to use the moment of reprieve to summon his greatest treasure.

Karna narrowly dodged the weapon Gilgamesh fired at him, the blade grazing him and opening up a cut along his cheek. He swung his lance, severing the arm Gilgamesh was going to use to wield his greatest treasure. Karna immediately followed this by impaling Gilgamesh on his lance.

"Farewell, King of Heroes." Karna stated. Gilgamesh reached out in an attempt to strangle Karna, only to be incinerated by the Lancer's flames.

Shirou barely managed to block a slash from Kirei's Black Keys, his weapon shattering on impact. He projected a new blade, preparing to meet Kirei's next attack. Shirou was on his last legs, barely able to stand.

Before either of the two could continue their clash, they all felt a dark presence. The Holy Grail was complete.

"Yes... yes! Holy Grail, I have but one wish of you!" Kirei ordered. "Unleash the world's greatest calamity!"

Karna killed him just as he finished speaking.

A dark hole appeared in the sky, pouring down dark mud that burned all it touched like lava.

Karna looked to the Holy Grail, floating in the sky. "Master, it has been an honor to serve you."

"Lancer? What are you-?" Shirou sputtered, the strain of battle getting to him.

Karna truly shed his armor and earrings. He tossed the earrings to Shirou. "I am going to destroy the Holy Grail. This is the only way to ensure your survival." His hair turned red, as he prepared to unleash the true power of his lance. "May we meet each other again in the future."

"On the battlefield, there is no more weakness. My father, I ask for your forgiveness. For the first and last time."

Shirou desperately reached out, hoping to prevent Karna from sacrificing himself.

"End _everything_. _Vasavi_..."

Karna radiated intense heat for a moment as he aimed the spear up at the Holy Grail.

" _Shakti_!"

Karna unleashed an ultimate blast of burning power. Red filled Shirou's vision, before the lull of unconsciousness took him.

* * *

When Shirou awoke, the first thing he saw was Rin's face.

"Toh- Tohsaka?" Shirou asked. "Where am I?"

"In the _hospital_." Rin stated, annoyance permeating her tone. "Your reckless actions injured you beyond what I could safely fix, so I had to put you in here instead."

"How long was I out? Where's Lancer? What happened to the Holy Grail?"

"Relax, Shirou. You've been here for about a week. Lancer... he faded away the moment the Holy Grail was destroyed." Rin informed. "He truly was a hero, right to the end."

"And Illyasviel?"

"You're not even worried about yourself, huh? She is fine. We cut it close, but we did save Einzbern. She's still at the estate outside the city, and it seems like she'll be remaining there for the foreseeable future."

Shirou just nodded.

"So, Emiya, what are you going to do?" Rin asked.

"What I was always trying to do. Be a Hero of Justice."

Rin sighed. "You really do have a one track mind, don't you? I'll help you on your little quest."

She held his hand, smiling.

Shirou smiled back.

There was still a long journey ahead of them. And perhaps at the end of the road would be a reunion with the one who helped them down that path.


	2. Astolfo

"I ask of you, are you my Master?" The pink-haired girl standing before Shirou asked. She had just drove off Lancer, using a white and gold lance to do so.

Shirou didn't say a word. He _couldn't_. He was already awkward around girls not named "Sakura Matou" or "Taiga Fujimura". And this girl?

She was beautiful. Beautiful in a way Shirou couldn't even begin to describe.

"Oh, you are! Well that makes things easier! Just sit tight while your knight in dingy armor takes care of things!" She said, before stepping out of the shed to battle Lancer.

"I'm going to guess you must be Rider." Lancer said.

"Yep! I'm one of the Twelve Heroes of Charlemagne, Astolfo, summoned in the Rider class!"

Lancer just stared at her. "Did you seriously just reveal your true name to me?"

"Oops."

"Never mind. Let's just see what you can do!" Lancer punctuated that sentence by lunging at Astolfo.

In an instant, what little space there was between them was filled with sparks as their lances clashed. Despite his weapon clearly being designed for use on a mount, Astolfo wielded it with surprising skill. And the lance clearly had something special about it that made Lancer wary of being struck by it. Lancer parried a blow, stepping back.

"Not bad." Lancer complimented. "You're a pretty weak Servant, but you've got more grit than warriors twice your strength." He spun his lance around, preparing to unleash the true power of his weapon. "However, you're in my way."

The lance exploded with a demonic aura. Astolfo gulped, raising her lance in preparation to block.

" _Gae_..."

"Astolfo, get out of the-!" Shirou tried to call out, rushing to save Astolfo from whatever Lancer was planning.

" _Bolg_!"

Shirou was far too late. Lancer closed the distance between them in an instant, thrusting his lance in an odd way that impossibly struck Astolfo in the heart. Shirou fell to his knees in despair. He failed to save someone right in front of him.

Astolfo smirked. "Sorry, but I'm not dead yet!"

Punctuating that sentence, he thrusted his lance for Lancer's chest. Lancer stepped back, but was still grazed by the lance's golden tip. Lancer's lower legs returned to spirit form, causing him to fall to the ground.

Lancer glared at his opponent. "How the hell did you dodge my undodgeable blow?" He questioned.

"I guess I got lucky?" Astolfo answered with a shrug. "It only grazed my heart, so I'm still in fightin' shape!"

Lancer was just baffled. Mostly by the fact that Astolfo _somehow_ had the advantage in this battle.

Before Astolfo or Lancer could act, a rain of arrows fell from the sky upon Lancer. When the smoke cleared, Lancer was gone.

"Is he dead, Archer?" Rin Tohsaka asked, standing on the roof with her Servant.

"No, Master." Archer stated. "Lancer managed to flee in the cloud of smoke. His Master must have used a Command Seal to force him to return."

* * *

Rin Tohsaka had decided that Astolfo was definitely a Servant made for Shirou Emiya. They both shared a strong sense of justice and kind hearts.

 _They were also complete morons_.

Astolfo gave out her identity to anyone who asked (or even if they didn't ask) and seemed to not really care about anything.

Shirou had a noble goal of wanting to save everyone, but never really thought it through. Or thought anything else through, considering his game plan of the Holy Grail War involves sparing every single Master no matter how impractical a decision that would be.

"Master, you don't gotta worry one hair on your head!" Astolfo declared. Rin was fairly certain that was not an expression, but didn't even bother to say anything. Speaking in Astolfo's presence was probably going to give her headache. "I'm gonna win this for you easy-peasy! Even though I'm a weak Servant, I'll fight with everything I've got for your dream!"

 _Loyal_. They were both loyal. Rin had decided that was probably the best quality the two shared.

It was a shame that literally _everything else_ was frustrating to deal with.

* * *

After heading to the church to register and explain more to Shirou, they began the journey home. As is standard across most timelines, they encountered Illyasviel von Einzbern and her Servant, Berserker.

Berserker lunged, aiming to tear Astolfo to pieces with his axe-sword. Astolfo, to her credit, dodged every strike thrown at her. Shirou was in utter awe that she could keep up with Berserker like this.

Astolfo found an opening, jabbing Berserker with her lance. Berserker was downed in the same Lancer had been before, giving Astolfo the chance to retreat.

"Master, we should probably run." Astolfo said. "I don't think _anyone_ can take him in a straight fight."

Berserker managed to throw himself at the Rider-class Servant with his enormous strength, forcing Astolfo to block the strike to protect her Master.

Astolfo barely managed to to survive the first strike, jumping back and whistling. The sound of a bird resounded across the night sky. Before Berserker could make another attack, Archer blasted him with a barrage of arrows, giving Astolfo's mount plenty of time to arrive and for her to get on.

"Ah, Hippogriff, what would I ever do without you?" She said, taking flight on her beloved mount and circling around the sky. It was just to try to see if Berserker was going after her. Archer kept Berserker pinned down with arrow fire, giving Astolfo a chance to swoop down and grab Shirou and Rin.

They fled from the battle as fast as possible, Archer continuing to fire upon Berserker to slow him down.

* * *

Shirou and Rin decided to form an alliance for the time being, since working together would get them better results against Berserker (and possibly against this war's Saber) than working separately.

Time more or less just went on for a couple days. There was a Bounded Field at school, but it wasn't going to activate for a while.

With no immediate threats, Shirou and Astolfo got to know each other.

Starting with Shirou accidentally discovering that Astolfo was not a girl. Shirou had seen him in the shower while trying to inform him that dinner was ready, and saw far more than he would have liked.

After one very awkward dinner (as Fuji-nee was too impatient to let the pair talk beforehand), the two sat down in a spare room to talk.

"So, you're a guy?" Shirou asked.

Astolfo shrugged. "Pretty much."

Shirou was silent. "And you wear girl's clothes?" He eventually asked.

"They're just clothes. It doesn't really matter if a boy or a girl wears them. Do you want me to change?"

Shirou was, once again, silent. He supposed there really wasn't any point in making Astolfo change, so he just shook his head.

Even knowing Astolfo was a boy, Shirou still considered him beautiful. Needless to say, a boy like Shirou Emiya was very much vexed by these feelings.

* * *

The next opponent they would face off against was Caster. She had attempted to capture Shirou to steal his Command Seals, only to be surprised when Astolfo pursued her through the night sky.

"C'mon, Hippogriff!" Astolfo yelled, dodging around a blast of magic from Caster and charging. All he needed was to get to his Master. Caster was a threat, sure, but his Master _always_ came first.

Caster spun around in the air, creating a series of runes in the air that all fired rays of magic upon Astolfo. Rider darted through the hail of magic, keeping his eyes purely focused on his target. Nothing else mattered.

Astolfo sped up, barely dodging the last burst of magic. Caster had made the mistake of trying to fight back, assuming that Astolfo was focused on winning a battle. While winning would be nice, he had no intentions of doing so tonight.

He managed to grab hold of his Master, taking him from Caster's grasp.

As Astolfo made his retreat, Shirou awakened to see him.

' _He's... kinda cool..._ ' Some hazy part of his brain thought.

* * *

Saber was... not as much of a challenge as expected. It wasn't so much that _she_ was weak so much as her Master was outright worthless for supporting her.

No, that's putting it lightly. She would be better off trying to fight this Holy Grail War without a Master than to fight it with him.

Shinji had ordered her to attack the team of Shirou and Rin at school, hoping to catch them when their Servants were off-guard.

Shirou's response was to summon Astolfo there with a Command Seal, who blocked Saber's slash with his lance. Shinji ran the moment Astolfo appeared.

"Sorry, but I'm not lettin' you hurt my Master." Astolfo stated, pushing his lance to force Saber back.

"I should be the one apologizing for being forced to use such dishonorable methods." Saber said. "My Master is a coward by nature, and ordered me to attack your Master for little reason."

Astolfo readied his lance. "Then how about he have a fair duel to make up for it?"

"Let us cross weapons." Saber punctuated her sentence by lunging.

Astolfo had a clear advantage in raw power, Monstrous Strength working its magic to overpower Saber's blocks. On the opposite end, Saber was infinitely more skilled with her weapon than Astolfo was. This roughly evened out into an equal match-up.

Saber diverted a thrust from Astolfo, preparing to counter. Astolfo stepped back, narrowly avoiding the slash, and then immediately rushed in with another thrust of his lance. Saber sidestepped the attack, preparing to counter.

And then she suddenly bolted, ordered by her Master to return to him.

* * *

The sight they saw was horrific. They had managed to pursue Saber to a classroom, only to find her dead.

Well, dead was putting it lightly. She had been slammed into the wall and then had her neck twisted around at least three times. Her chest had a gaping hole in it, pouring blood out the wound. Rin actually threw up a little in her mouth at the sight.

Shinji was on the floor, babbling about how it was "Not his fault" and that "He did it". He only managed to give them one piece of information before he ran.

A teacher was a Master, who killed Saber.

Another investigation later that day gave them one possible lead, one they would follow up on tomorrow night.

* * *

The next day, Astolfo dragged Shirou to the dojo to train.

"I know you're gonna wanna fight Caster's Master, and I definitely can't stop you, so I'm gonna teach you how to fight!" He said.

Before Shirou had a chance to react, Astolfo was already coming at him with a shinai.

Shirou got beat up a lot that day. Mercifully, Astolfo held back enough that he would have any injuries that would impede him that night.

"Hey, Shirou." Astolfo said while they were resting. "What're you gonna use the Holy Grail for?"

Shirou was quiet. "I don't have a wish. Or at least, not one the Grail can grant. I just want to make sure the other Masters don't kill anyone."

"That's... I think you're in the right. I was summoned for a different Holy Grail War, and even won it! But... the Holy Grail's magic was going to be used for something really bad, so my Master had to make a sacrifice to save the world." Astolfo pulled out a sword from nowhere. "This was the sword I gave him back when we first met. It was just a regular sword back then, but after our journey together it... gained some abilities. You can only use them once, but it's crazy strong!" He tossed it to Shirou, who sloppily caught it.

Shirou held it, giving it a test swing. It was natural, but somehow still didn't feel right. "You're giving this to me?"

"I've got my lance, and it's a Noble Phantasm that anyone can use, even without mana." Astolfo said. "I... don't remember the code phrase to activate its full power, but I'll remember it eventually." He shrugged.

* * *

They followed up on their lead. Souichirou Kuzuki was most likely Caster's Master based on everything they heard.

Rin shot him with a simple Gandr shot, which was blocked by Caster appearing from nowhere.

"Like I thought. You _are_ Caster's Master." Rin said. Astolfo leapt out of the nearby trees, lance aimed at Caster.

Kuzuki moved faster than any human should ever move, grabbing the lance and throwing Astolfo into a wall.

"Caster's strengthening him." Rin realized. She fired another Gandr shot, which was once again stopped by Caster.

"Child, I am not going to let you attack him." Caster stated, creating a rune in the air that she aimed at Rin.

Shirou moved, drawing the sword Astolfo gave him and rushing at Caster. He wasn't going to stand by, no matter what. Kuzuki moved as well, leaping to Caster's defense and catching the blade between his knee and elbow.

It was only by pure instinct that Shirou managed to survive the blow he took, crashing into the gas station they had been hiding out in while waiting for Kuzuki to arrive. Shirou managed to strengthen the part that was struck, reducing a fatal blow down into just a vicious one.

"Master!" Astolfo called out, running to attack Kuzuki.

Kuzuki grabbed him by the neck, strangling him with just one hand. Rin attempted to throw a jewel charged with magic at him. Kuzuki hurled Astolfo at her in response, smashing both of them into a railing.

Shirou picked himself up. He needed to protect them. Nothing else mattered in that moment. He dropped Astolfo's sword.

"Trace, on."

The hammer crashed down, his Magic Circuits firing at full-force. Shirou Emiya couldn't win.

So he'll simply imagine a scenario where he does he win. With a weapon to match.

Archer's swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, appeared in his hands. Caster just stared in utter shock at seeing a mere boy project Noble Phantasms.

Shirou lunged at Kuzuki. Their battle was like lightning, intense and instantaneous. Shirou unleashed a flurry of slashes from every angle, and Kuzuki blocked them with every ounce of speed Caster had granted him.

"Emiya...?" Rin mumbled, regaining consciousness after the previous blow knocked her out.

Kuzuki was actually being pushed back after managing to dominate a _Servant_ in close-quarters combat. Every single bit of standard reasoning regarding the Holy Grail War had been flipped on its head in the span of a single battle. A Master was backed up by his Servant. A Master beat a Servant in close quarters without breaking a sweat. And now?

A Master was managing to use Projection Magic to create Noble Phantasms, and was evenly matched in a fight that his Servant failed to win.

Astolfo awakened, seeing Shirou clash his blades against Kuzuki's empowered body.

' _He's... kinda cool..._ ' Some hazy part of his brain thought.

* * *

Kuzuki and Caster escaped, and Shirou was severely injured from the stunt he pulled.

This had resulted in Archer and Astolfo finally being in the same room. Shirou was half-conscious, Archer working on ascertaining the damage.

"So, Archer," Astolfo started. "What do you want the Holy Grail for?"

"I don't." Archer tersely stated. "What about you?"

"I don't really have a wish either! I kinda want a human body so I can keep being a hero, but it's not really that big a wish. I got to stick around for a while after my last war, but you know how it is." Astolfo shrugged.

Archer was silent, taking in what Astolfo just said. "You won a Holy Grail War? When?"

"I... uh, don't remember? It was basically a really long time ago for me, and-"

Archer ended up tuning out everything else Astolfo said. He was too busy processing whatever nonsense he had just said. Archer had done his research on previous Grail Wars, and none of them ended with Astolfo winning.

Then again, alternate realities did exist, frustratingly enough. Archer decided that was the only thing that made sense and left it at that. Now to figure out how to deal with a different problem.

* * *

"C'mon, Master, you should lighten up a little!" Astolfo said. Shirou, Rin, and him were on a 'date', about a day after the battle with Kuzuki. "We're here to have fun for once!"

"For once, your Servant makes a good point." Rin said. "You're always wound up about something, Emiya. I know there's a lot going on, but relaxing is as much a part of this as actually fighting is."

Shirou was silent. There was simply too much on his mind. Between his feelings towards Astolfo that he just wasn't sure how to interpret, that display against Kuzuki, and the stress of the Holy Grail War itself, he had too much to think about and not enough time to do so.

Especially concerning Astolfo, who Shirou never wanted to see hurt again.

* * *

Caster attacked them on the Fuyuki Bridge. Through use of a Bounded Field, she prevented Archer from being able to interfere, and then made her demands clear.

Either hand over Astolfo, or Taiga Fujimura dies. It was a simple, yet effective threat.

Astolfo was the one to step forward. "I'll do it."

"Astolfo...?" Shirou questioned.

"She's like family to you, right? My duty is to protect my Master, and everyone he cares about." Astolfo stated. "I'd be a pretty bad hero if I just let her die. And besides, I know you were thinking about it. I'm just making it a little bit less painful."

"Astolfo, you-"

"Just run, Master. Archer should be breaking you guys a way out of here pretty soon. We both know Caster's gonna make me hurt you the moment she's got me under her thumb."

There was nothing Shirou could do to stop Caster from using her Noble Phantasm to take Astolfo as her own Servant.

* * *

Their first attempt at taking back Astolfo ended in failure.

No, failure implied that they were somewhere close to where they started. Archer had willingly given himself up to Caster, choosing to serve her instead. They had gone from a bad situation to outright teetering on the brink of destruction.

Berserker and her Master were slain before they could attempt to make an alliance with them. Shinji Matou was now in command of a powerful Servant, Gilgamesh.

At least Lancer was now working with them for the time being. So, they were doing slightly better.

* * *

The fight with Caster and Kuzuki went better than expected. With Lancer keeping Archer occupied, Rin and Shirou could fight their opponents freely. Astolfo was forced to watch, desperately hoping they could win.

And then Rin was about to beat Caster, pummeling her with Chinese martial arts of all things. Everything seemed like a victory, right up until Archer arrived. He didn't protect his new Master, instead killing her with a blade he summoned using a familiar incantation.

"Trace, on." Archer stated. A set of blades materialized over Rin, stabbing into the ground and trapping her.

Kuzuki attempted to kill Archer, only to get cut down.

"Shirou Emiya." Archer summoned Kanshou and Bakuya to his hands, stepping toward the boy.

Astolfo rushed between them, blocking Archer's attack and saving Shirou's life. He seemed more invigorated than before, ready to take on Archer. Rin must have contracted with him.

"Rider, get out of my way if you don't want to die. You should start protecting your new Master." Archer said.

"Not happening. I'm going to protect Shirou too." Astolfo said, readying his lance.

"Fine." Archer relented with a shrug, before creating several blades to block off Astolfo's path to him and grabbing Rin. "Meet me in the Einzbern mansion. I want to fight Shirou Emiya. I will kill Rin otherwise."

* * *

Shirou and Astolfo arrived at the Einzbern mansion.

Archer stood atop the stairs in the wrecked lobby. "You've arrived. Have you figured it out my true identity?" He asked, projecting Kanshou and Bakuya into his hands.

"You're Shirou Emiya, aren't you?" Astolfo guessed. "Or a version of him."

Archer chuckled. "I'm surprised you managed to figure it out. I am indeed the Heroic Spirit once known as Shirou Emiya." He said. "You should go and save your Master."

"I'm staying. I won't interfere in your fight, but I'm gonna stick with Shirou 'till the bitter end." Astolfo said.

Archer understood, lunging at Shirou. Shirou projected his own copies of Kanshou and Bakuya, blocking Archer's first slash and countering with one of his own. Archer stepped around Shirou to dodge, going for his backside.

Shirou spun on his heel before stepping back, narrowly avoiding Archer's swipe of Kanshou before going onto the offensive. The battle sped up from there as Archer began to start taking this seriously. Blade met blade several times in moments, as Shirou desperately countered every attack Archer threw at him. The gap in their skills was obvious, but somehow smaller than expected.

Shirou was picking up Archer's skills as they fought. It wasn't going to make up for the intrinsic difference in strength and speed, but it meant that Archer wasn't going to win this easily.

Archer stepped back. It was time.

" _I am the bone of my sword._

_Steel is my body, and fire is my blood._

_I have created over a thousand blades._

_Unknown to death,_

_Nor known to life._

_Have withstood pain to create many weapons._

_Yet, those hands will never hold anything._

_So as I pray,_

_Unlimited Blade Works._ "

The world around them was replaced with a wasteland filled with swords, gears floating in the sky. Archer stood atop a hill roughly thirty meters away from Shirou.

"I had gone through the Holy Grail War." Archer said. "I made far too many mistakes, and left it with a Servant who was only going to destroy herself in a quest that will only end in suffering and a foolish desire to save everyone in the world. I trained, and learned everything about my abilities. I pushed away everyone in a mindless pursuit to become a hero of justice. Eventually... I made a contract with the World to become a Counter Guardian. I was sent to various points in time and mopped up the messes of humanity."

He clenched his fist, staring at his past self.

"I had to kill far too many. But I had one hope. It was all I had to keep myself sane. If I could be summoned into the Fifth Holy Grail War, then I could destroy your ideals and finally be set free."

"That's not going to work." Astolfo said. "You exist outside time, right? Nothing you'll do would fix that. Even if you killed every Shirou in every world, I don't think you could be set free."

"I don't care any more." Archer let two enormous blades hover beside him, prepared to strike. "It's my _only_ option. Because my past self was a fool."

Shirou took several seconds to respond. "You're correct, but you're not _right_. Maybe it's a mistake to be a hero, but it will _never_ be wrong. I'm going to be a hero of justice, and I'll save everyone I can. Starting with you."

He rushed for Archer, who shot the blades at him. Shirou deflected them with Kanshou and Bakuya, sending them flying into the air and then landing behind him. Twenty five meters were left between them, and Shirou was going to close every bit of that distance.

Archer unleashed blade after blade in varying shapes and sizes. It was storm of weapons, all aimed at Shirou. Shirou's swords shattered with each deflection, only to be replaced just as fast with new copies. He sprung into the air, dodging a barrage, and then threw Kanshou at Archer.

"Rho Aias." Archer merely said, summoning the shield to block the attack. He didn't truly need to do so, but perhaps he just wanted to show off for once. The shield dispelled as Shirou landed. Shirou was now ten meters away, and still kept moving. Archer's barrage only sped up.

Shirou couldn't defend against them all any more. They cut at his flesh with every deflection that was just an instant too slow, with every dodge that just narrowly failed to avoid contact. He still pushed through in spite of the pain.

He was so close.

Archer was actually impressed. Shirou was closing the distance and surviving. He knew that he was always stubborn, but this was obscene.

Shirou got into range, wildly swinging his blades at Archer. Any semblance of technique was gone, burned away in a haze of desperation. He needed to win.

There was no way in hell that Shirou Emiya was going to lose to himself.

Archer parried the first two blows, preparing a counterattack. Shirou moved faster, pushing his body as far as it will go, and landed a thrust.

The tip of the blade shattered as it struck Archer, only drawing a small amount of blood.

Shirou's desperate hope infected Archer's Reality Marble. The hazy skies were replaced with a sunny blue sky, a symbol of Shirou's spirit.

Archer raised his blade, preparing to strike. He could end this right now.

But he couldn't. Shirou's relentless idealism infected him. Maybe, now that he knew what would happen to him, he could avert that fate.

Unlimited Blade Works faded away, replacing their surroundings with the Einzbern mansion.

"Shirou Emiya. You have won our pointless battle." Archer said, as Shirou collapsed onto the floor. He turned away, preparing to leave. "Go rescue Rin Tohsaka. I'll hold off Gilgamesh."

Before anybody could speak, several blades pierced Archer's chest. Gilgamesh stood at the top of the stairs, the portals of Gate of Babylon closing next to him.

"You'll do what, Faker? I doubt you would accomplish much, even if you had a Master." He stated.

Archer smirked. "It's all up to you now. Don't let me down." He said, before fading away.

Astolfo whistled, calling Hippogriff, before summoning his lance.

"Ah, you're the Rider-class Servant of this war." Gilgamesh noted. "A fellow collector of Noble Phantasms. An inferior collector."

"Well, not everyone can be from so far back in time." Astolfo grumbled, annoyed. "Are you gonna let us go?"

Gilgamesh laughed, amused by the sheer audacity of the request. "No." His face snapped to an arrogant sneer, looking down on Shirou and Astolfo. "Gate of Babylon."

Hundreds of golden portals opened up across his side of the room, all aiming their weapons at Shirou and Astolfo. Even with Hippogriff's full speed, there was no way they were getting out of there.

And then flames started to spread into the room. Gilgamesh left, not wanting to get soot on his clothes and demean himself like a peasant.

Shirou could only assume it was Astolfo's A-Rank Luck stat that gave them that blessing.

* * *

They regrouped with Rin, who relayed her side of what happened, and then headed back to the Emiya household to plan their next move. The sun had just set by the time they got back.

"If Goldie has the vessel, then he most likely wants to use it as soon as possible. Shinji wanted to use me to bear the vessel, but..." Rin trailed off.

"You managed to get away." Shirou said. "Then... is he...?"

"Most likely. Shinji's the only Master he has immediately on hand. I'd take him to the Ryuudou Temple leyline for the purpose of summoning the Grail. When Goldie was there, he mentioned something about the Grail being a 'weapon'."

"Then we've gotta destroy it." Astolfo stated. "Last time I saw it used, my Master... he had to sacrifice himself to prevent something really bad from happening. Shirou, what did you do with the sword I gave you?"

"It's in the dojo." Shirou answered.

"Rin, can I trust you to use it to destroy the Grail?"

"Rider, you're acting more focused than normal." Rin noted.

"It's a new moon." Astolfo answered. Shirou didn't understand at all, but Rin did. "I'll teach you how to use the sword, as long as you promise to destroy the Grail."

"At this point, I'd rather blow the stupid thing up than let Goldie destroy Fuyuki with it."

Shirou felt like he was barely following this conversation.

* * *

Shirou and Astolfo sat down outside, looking up at the sky. As Astolfo said, it was a new moon tonight.

"Hey, Shirou. There's something I wanna tell you." Astolfo said.

"What is it, Rider? Is everything okay?" Shirou asked.

"I... I love you."

There was a long silence as Shirou processed what he heard. Astolfo worried that he said something wrong.

"I... feel the same way." Shirou eventually said. "I thought you were beautiful when I first met you, and I still think that way."

Shirou didn't care that Astolfo was a guy. Astolfo was a person who he cared about deeply. Gender was irrelevant as far as Shirou was concerned.

Astolfo warmly smiled, hugging him. "Thank you, Shirou. Let's beat Gilgamesh. Together."

* * *

They arrived at Ryuudou Temple, ready to fight. The plan was simple. Shirou and Astolfo would defeat Gilgamesh, and then Rin would destroy the Holy Grail with the sword Astolfo gave her immediately afterward.

"So you've arrived." Gilgamesh said. "I suppose I should have expected this. Faker, you will not be allowed to draw breath in my garden any longer. Inferior collector, you should leave."

"I have a name." Astolfo grumbled. He was already on his mount, lance in hand. "I'm Astolfo, one of the Twelve Heroes of Charlemagne! I defeated the giant Caligorante, captured the immortal thief Orillo, and even went to the moon! And Shirou's my... partner. We're going to defeat you, here and now."

Gilgamesh had to stifle the urge to laugh. Really, who wouldn't in the face of something so ridiculous? "I suggest the court jester should leave before his execution. I will be executing the Faker first."

"Faker, huh?" Shirou said. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I had it wrong from the start. My magic was never creating swords. There was no way Shirou Emiya could pull that off. Shirou Emiya can only do one thing, to put a shape into mind."

He closed his eyes, uttering an familiar yet unfamiliar chant.

" _I am the bone of my sword_."

Wire frame replicas of gears hung in the sky.

" _Steel is my body and fire is my blood_."

The skies were slowly overtaken by a sunny sky.

" _I have created over a thousand blades_."

Even Gilgamesh seemed surprised by what he saw.

" _Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain_."

The ground beneath was replaced with a wasteland.

" _I have withstood pain to create many weapons_."

Blade after blade materialized along the ground.

" _Waiting for one's arrival_."

The gears in the sky solidified. They began to turn.

" _I have no regrets, this is the only path_."

Shirou opened his eyes.

" _My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works_."

The Reality Marble was complete. Unlimited Blade Works was ready for battle, and so was Shirou Emiya.

"Is this your plan? To drag me into a worthless wasteland?" Gilgamesh questioned. He fired a barrage of weapons. They were met with exact copies, exploding in a beautiful shower of sparking metal.

"My plan? I suppose you could call it something like that. I don't create swords. I create a world that contains infinite swords." Shirou looked down at his hand. Kanshou materialized in it. "That is the only magic allowed for Shirou Emiya. You shouldn't be surprised. These are all imitations. Trifling swords, as you'd probably call them." He created Bakuya in his other hand. "But there's no rule that a fake cannot surpass the original! Even if you're the original, I'll surpass every one of your weapons and destroy you!"

Astolfo smirked, grabbing the reins of Hippogriff. "Here we come, King of Heroes! Do you have enough weapons in stock?"

"Tch! Mongrels!" Gilgamesh immediately went onto the offensive. Shirou's words must have struck a nerve. "Let's see if your weapons are as sharp as your tongues!"

The battle truly began with Gilgamesh opening up hundreds of portals to bombard them with the world's finest treasures. Astolfo took off, speeding into the sky and evading the first assault. Shirou took it head-on, blades rising from their resting places in the wasteland to meet the Gate of Babylon.

Shirou deflected one that got too close, Kanshou shattering on contact. He kept moving, rushing for Gilgamesh. If either him or Astolfo could get in close, they could probably beat him then and there.

The problem, of course, was actually getting there amidst the onslaught of treasures. Shirou picked a sword up from the ground, using to block a mirror of itself, before having to dodge to the side as weapons rained down upon him.

Astolfo darted through the hail of weapons aimed at him, occasionally deflecting one that got too close with his lance. He was more of a distraction that the actual fighter, trying to keep the heat off Shirou so he could get in there.

"Is that all you got, King of Heroes?!" He taunted, doing a barrel roll around a particularly large blade.

"Quiet yourself, _mongrel_." Gilgamesh hissed, choosing to focus more of his barrage on Astolfo.

Portals opened around around Astolfo, leaving no escape routes. For all of his speed, it was simply impossible to escape such a barrage unscathed. Gilgamesh let them go, planing on ending the Rider's life.

The expected sound of clashing metal was instead replaced with a single blaring note.

The sound of Astolfo's Noble Phantasm, or one of them at least. Astolfo smiled as he dispelled La Black Luna, charging at Gilgamesh. Like basically anyone else who heard the horn, Gilgamesh was discombobulated by the overwhelming noise. Shirou only got off fine because he expected it and braced himself for the sound.

Gilgamesh's barrage was less focused than before, the King of Heroes dazed and deafened. He still didn't make it easy for them, unleashing his treasures in wild patterns that nobody could predict.

Shirou continued his approach through a hail of sparks and shards of metal, the weapons inside Unlimited Blade Works meeting the originals of the Gate of Babylon. It was now or never. A ring of portals opened up around him, forcing him to jump. This was it. When he landed, he would be next to Gilgamesh.

Shirou projected weapon after weapon to block, parry, and deflect every single one shot at him, becoming a whirlwind of slashes that barely managed to tear through the offensive. Gilgamesh regained his senses, and focused all of his efforts on destroying Shirou Emiya first.

More portals opened up, all aimed at Shirou. It was impossible for him to defend against them all like before, nor could he dodge in the air.

"Rho Aias!" Shirou called out, summoning the shield of the Trojan hero, Aias. It was the only thing he had that could defend against the barrage. And defend it did, barely managing to hold up against the assault while Shirou summoned a weapon his other hand.

Gilgamesh growled in frustration, deciding that he had to bring out his finest treasure.

He was too slow on the draw. Shirou severed his arm in one falling slash.

Unlimited Blade Works crumbled away, its owner too exhausted to maintain it further. Their surroundings were replaced with the Ryuudou Temple.

Gilgamesh remained standing, half-dead but still alive. Astolfo charged at him to end this, only for Gilgamesh to kill Hippogriff with a surprise shot from Gate of Babylon.

Astolfo landed on the ground, preparing to rush Gilgamesh with his lance before the bastard could kill Shirou.

And then a dark hole in space opened up, drawing Gilgamesh in. "The Grail is trying use me as a replacement?!" He questioned, throwing out an Enkidu chain in an attempt to drag Shirou down with him.

The chain instead dug into Astolfo's flesh. He had taken the attack for Shirou, digging his lance into the ground in an attempt to anchor himself. Even still, Astolfo was slowly being dragged down with Gilgamesh.

Shirou forced himself to stand, grabbing onto Astolfo and trying to pull him away.

"Shirou, could you move your head just an inch to right?" A familiar voice asked. Shirou did as requested, an arrow whizzing past his head and hitting Gilgamesh in the head. Gilgamesh lost his grip on the chain, finally being dragged into the Grail hole.

* * *

Rin picked herself up, having just finished saving Shinji from being the Grail's core. She raised the sword Astolfo gave her to sky, calling out the incantation needed to summon its power.

"I order this body with a Command Spell!" She declared. It didn't really make sense to her, even with Astolfo's rambling explanation, but she was happy that it was an option. The blade transformed into Balmung, the sword wielded by the invincible hero of the Netherlands, Siegfried.

" _Balmung_!"

With one final war cry, she swung the blade.

* * *

Astolfo found himself in a familiar flowery field.

"Oh, hey Justy!" Astolfo said, waving as the Grail's "terminal" appeared before him. "It's been a while!"

"Servant Rider, True Name Astolfo. You have won the Holy Grail War." The image of Justeaze Einzbern said. "What is your wish?"

Astolfo paused. "I thought Rin destroyed the Grail."

"Correct. But, your affinity as a result of having been in the Greater Grail once before has meant that its essence has entered you. What is your wish?"

"Let's make it two wishes!" Astolfo said with a smile.

* * *

In the middle of fading away during a heartfelt farewell with Rin, Archer stopped. He just stopped fading away.

"Archer?" Rin questioned, staring at him in confusion.

"I have no clue either." Archer answered, staring at his hand.

"Hey guys!" Astolfo called out, running over to them while holding Shirou's hand and dragging him along. "We won!"

"I can see that." Archer remarked. "Why do I have a human body?'

"Well, the Grail sorta spoke to me to give me a wish. I used what it had to get two wishes! Give me a human body so I can be with Shirou, and... Well, I was gonna just set you free from the Counter Force, but I couldn't do that, so I just used what was left to give you a human body too so you can at least have a break from it for a while." Astolfo explained.

Shirou understood about half of that.

Archer chuckled. "You really are an impressive hero. Going through all the trouble of saving even me."

"Well, you're _a_ Shirou. And besides, one of the Twelve Heroes of Charlemagne would never pass up an opportunity to help someone in need!"

Astolfo looked to the horizon as the sun rose.

' _Sieg, I hope you're happy, wherever you are. I've got a friend that I think you'd really like to meet._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angra Mainyu? What's that? 
> 
> Astolfo and Shirou deserve a happy ending and I bent the rules as much as possible to make that happen. Astolfo's probably going to be the only Servant to remember Apocrypha (barring Semiramis and Shakespeare, but that's only a maybe right now).
> 
> Atalanta is up next, but who do you want to see afterwards?


End file.
